


Camaraderie and Catharsis

by DragonBoy7



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Coming Out, Established Relationship, Fluff, Friendship, Gay Mike Wheeler, Gay Will Byers, Gen, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, One Shot, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28401843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonBoy7/pseuds/DragonBoy7
Summary: After a year of his friends constantly asking Will about his secret “girlfriend,” Will decides to finally say something. He’ll gladly tell everyone - if they agree to help him set up a surprise for their one year anniversary. What Will does not mention, however, is that this mysterious “girlfriend” is not exactly a girl. Oh, and he’s in the Party.There’s only like, five hundred different ways this could go wrong. And in the wise words of someone, somewhere, “if something can go wrong, it absolutely will.”(Happy New Year, everyone!)
Relationships: Will Byers & Dustin Henderson, Will Byers & Eleven | Jane & Dustin Henderson & Maxine Mayfield & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, Will Byers & Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	Camaraderie and Catharsis

  
It’s a warm, sunny day in the middle of April, and Will can’t think of a better place to be than next to his sleeping boyfriend in a renovated Castle Byers. Mike is in the middle of a dream about something, and Will has been trying to figure out what from his incoherent sleep babbling. He could always just ask Mike when he wakes up like a normal human being, but there’s something weirdly amusing about finding ways to connect the words _potato_ , _disco_ , and _Will_. Besides, there’s nothing better to do, and sleepy Mike is cute.

Will yawns, and carefully moves his head onto Mike’s chest, letting out a quiet sigh. _Finally, some peace and quiet_ , he thinks. _Junior year has gone on forever. Well, it’s almost summer now, so I should figure out what to do for our anniversary_. Will can hardly believe it’s been an entire year since they found themselves making out at a funeral… it’s a long story. The Party would probably find it funny, though.

Oh, right. The Party. There’s still that little problem to deal with. It turns out that realizing one’s sexuality and starting a whirlwind romance with your best friend can’t exactly remain secret forever. Mike’s been bugging him to say something for months on end now, but Will can’t help but be a bit hesitant. Maybe it’s his less than stellar record with homophobia, or maybe it’s just Will being a chicken. It’s hard to tell these days. So what Will has done is invent a secret “girlfriend” - not that he specified a gender, but everyone just assumed, and he wasn’t about to correct them.

And then, a sneaky idea pops up. Will silently curses Mike’s knack for mischief, because it’s clearly rubbed off on him. _I need to tell the Party about me and Mike… and I need to plan a secret surprise for our anniversary. Mike always plans our dates, so I should probably do something for a change. Maybe the Party can help me plan something_.

It takes Will a solid five seconds to realize that won’t work. For one, Mike is _in_ the Party, so he can’t just hold secret meetings without him for long. Dustin and Lucas are way too perceptive to let that one go. Two, the thought of coming out without Mike is ever-so-slightly terrifying. And three, there’s like a million different ways this could go wrong.

He decides to worry about it later and nuzzles up against Mike’s chest. Hours later, he wakes up to Mike gently nudging him and complaining about drool on his new flannel shirt. Will just shrugs and laughs.

===

Despite what he decided the day before, Will decides to throw caution to the wind when he sees Max alone by her locker. _Screw it, I don’t have any better ideas. Besides, Mike always tells me to live in the moment, so carpe diem, I guess._ Will quickly strides over to her before Lucas can materialize out of thin air.

“Hey, Max! Uh, are you free after school today?”

“Oh, hey Byers. Yeah, I don’t have anything. You want _Dig Dug_ advice or something? Cuz you’ll have to get in line for that.”

“N-no, not exactly,” Will says, then lowers his voice. “I want some, uh, girl advice.”

Max’s face warps into a smirk, and Will finds himself _already_ regretting what he just said. She picks up her skateboard and starts walking to Math class, motioning for Will to follow.

“So this is about _Michaela_ ,” she taunts.

“What?”

“Your secret girlfriend, dumbass. You refuse to give me a name, so I decided on Michaela.”

“Any particular reason you picked _that_ name?” Will asks, rolling his eyes.

Max giggles to herself in some secret female language. “Nope. None at all.”

“Well, I just… it’s our one year anniversary next week. And she means a lot to me…”

Will hopes he’s not blushing too hard, but judging from Max’s amused expression, his face is probably redder than her hair.

“Of course she does. Why else would you never mention her except when we bug you about it? Kidding, kidding. Sure, I’ll help. I wanna know who Will’s lucky mistress is, anyhow.”

_Phew. That only slightly sucked._ “Thank you, Max!”

“No prob. Meet me after school. We can head to my place and plan things out. Also, I’m bringing El with me. It’s a package deal.”

Will realizes he can’t exactly refuse her, so he simply nods.

“Alright. I hope he likes it…”

Max gives him an odd look, eyebrows raised. Will looks back at her, confused, then heads off to his next class. It’s only fifteen minutes later that he realizes that he _already_ fucked up. _Nice one, Byers_.

===

Will is totally _not_ having an existential panic about how Mike will totally hate him when he hears Dustin’s voice calling his name. Where is he again? Oh, right, he’s in Biology class doing some experiment about potatoes, or something. Will takes several deep breaths to calm himself down. _This is nothing like the panic attacks I used to have. Come on, Will, pull yourself together and talk to Dustin._

“I’m fine, Dustin. Don’t worry.”

“Bullshit, Will. What’s wrong? Don’t tell me it’s the Mind Flayer again…”

No supernatural fiascos have happened in years, but Dustin always asks out of habit, even in public. Will quickly shakes his head and tries to focus on the potato he’s supposed to observe. Something about osmosis? Or was it diffusion? Are they even different things?

“No, I was just thinking about something stupid. Don’t worry about it, really. We should finish our lab.”

“Will, I’ve been your friend long enough to know a mini panic attack when I see one. So don’t bullshit me.” A pause, and then: “Is this about Mike?”

_Well no, but actually yes._ “No.”

“Ok, so it’s about Mike. Did you two fight _again_? It better not be another case of fucking girl drama because I swear to God the last one nearly ruined the Party.”

“Can we talk about it later? We’ve only got…,” Will stares at the clock, “fifteen minutes to finish and we’re barely half done.”

“Fine. But we _are_ talking about this. After school.”

Will gives a nod, and they get back to studying their potato. Will smiles when he’s reminded of Mike’s incoherent dream from the previous day. _Will, the potato…_

Of course, their tacit silence lasts a total of five minutes before Dustin asks: “So like, did Mike fuck your secret girlfriend?”

“DUSTIN!”

Their Biology teacher, whom Will fondly calls “Scott-Clarke-but-down-on-his-luck,” glances over to them with a warning _shut up_ stare. Will gets the message and mouths a _sorry_ before glancing at Dustin, who is trying to not explode with laughter. For the umpteenth time that day, Will lets out a sigh.

===

Will tries to navigate down the hallway in stealth mode, sneaking around to avoid running into Dustin. It sucks, but he can’t come up with a very good way to lie about accidentally outing himself. There’s also the whole worry about whether Max will even want to help him after that little reveal.

Of course, he just _has_ to bump into Lucas right outside the front doors in his rush to leave, accidentally spilling the contents of his half-zipped backpack on the pavement.

“Ow! Oh, Lucas. Sorry,” he exclaims.

“Will! Just the man I was looking for,” Lucas replies, bending down to help Will with his assortment of textbooks. “Well, to be more specific, Dustin was looking for you and asked me. It seemed kinda important.”

_Damn it._ “Oh, well, uh, I already talked to him.” It comes out more like a question.

“In the last two minutes? Friends don’t lie, Will. Say, is this yours?”

Lucas is holding a shiny red piece of paper with a pink heart inscribed on it. It takes one look for Will to realize that it’s the Valentine’s Day card Mike made for him. He had stuffed it in the bottom of his backpack to keep it safe… _double damn it._

“Yeah, give that here,” Will says, motioning for the card, but Lucas pulls it out of reach.

“Oh shit, it’s a Valentine’s Day card. Aww Willy, is this from your _secret girlfriend_?’

Will’s heart is now beating _far_ too fast to be healthy. It’s supposed to be 70 times a minute, right? This is more like 70 million. He tries to stop himself from hyperventilating, but to little avail.

“L-lucas, please give that back.”

“Come on, it can’t be _that_ mushy. Or kinky. I won’t tell anyone, promise.”

“Lucas, _stop_ ,” comes a rough voice from behind him. “Seriously, not cool.”

Will turns around to see Max frowning at her boyfriend. To his relief, Lucas makes a whining noise and offers the card to Will in defeat. Will snatches it, buries it as deep in his backpack as possible, and offers a _thank you_ glance to Max, who just gives him a thumbs up.

“Will, are you ok?” It’s Dustin now. _When did he get here?_ “You’re hyperventilating. You’re having another panic attack, aren’t you?”

_Just my luck. Now one my friends knows I’m gay, another thinks I have a secret Valentine kink, and the third probably thinks I need therapy again._ Will glances from Lucas, to Max, and then to Dustin and tries to calm himself down, weighing his options carefully. He could just take a risk and come out. But risks haven’t exactly worked well today, so that’s a bad idea. Another lie, maybe? No, friends don’t lie. Friends tell things straight! Except when they don’t.

“I’m fine, Dustin. Sorry I worried you. Lucas was just about to read a letter that my girlfriend-”

“ _Michaela_ ,” Max interjects, earning a snort from Dustin.

“Fine. _Michaela_ sent me a card on Valentine’s Day, and it’s kind of embarrassing.”

“Sorry man, I didn’t realize it would bother you that much,” Lucas says, moving over to pat Will on the back.

“It’s fine. As for what I was thinking about earlier… our anniversary is coming up, and I wanted to do something special. I was talking to Max about it, and we’re planning something special. That’s what I was thinking about.”

“Can confirm,” Max says.

“Count us in!” Lucas adds, and Dustin nods.

“Uh…” Will pauses for a moment. “Okay, sure. Is that alright with you, Max?”

“She’s _your_ girlfriend. I’m cool with anything, _even_ if that girl is friends with that bitch Dorothy Parker.”

What? Friends with Dorothy… _oh_. Well, that’s a relief. Mike will be glad to know, if Will can manage to bring it up without the context somehow.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s plan a date Michaela will never forget!” Dustin says.

And so, the pieces are set in motion. Will just hopes that he doesn’t accidentally checkmate himself.

=== 

“Where’s Mike?” El asks, as the rest of the Party is cozily spread on the floor in Max’s living room.

“He has a dentist appointment,” Will says, and it’s _technically_ true; the appointment is just later that day.

“Mike cares _way_ too much about his teeth,” Dustin says, flashing a toothless smile and earning a few pity laughs.

“That he does. Now Will, you’re gonna have to tell us a bit about Michaela,” Lucas says.

“Michaela? He’s dating girl Mike?” El looks confused.

“I’m surprised he settled for _girl_ Mike,” Max jokes, and Will rolls his eyes.

“Haha, another ‘Will is gay’ joke,” he says. “Real clever one, Max. Never heard that one before.”

“Shut up.”

“ _Ladies_ ,” Lucas says, “how about we focus on Will’s girlfriend. What’s she like? You’re about as public as Hawkins Laboratory about her.”

“Well, she’s…” 

Will realizes he never really thought of a description. It was _never_ supposed to get this far. What’s he supposed to say? What do straight guys say to describe their girlfriends again? He tries to dig through his mind and think about what Lucas and Dustin have said about their girlfriends, but draws a blank. Will decides to just go for broke and describe female Mike.

“She’s really nice to me. She likes holding me a lot, and, uh, she’s super into D&D and comic books and Star Wars. And she’s a great kisser, too,” 

Will realizes he’s blushing, so he decides to shut up. He looks to see Max trying to stifle a hearty laugh, Dustin listening avidly, and Lucas looking lost in thought. Then El pipes up.

“Wow, it’s actually girl Mike.”

That sets everyone off for a solid five minutes, with Lucas and Max teaming up to do an impression of Will and Mike-aela which Will begrudgingly admits is slightly funny. Ok, really funny. Dustin is the one to set them back on track.

“You missed the most important part.” Everyone turns to look at him. “We need her size. You know, to help with the mental picture.”

Max gives him a solid thwack for that one. Not that Will’s complaining.

“Dustin, there are _ladies_ present here.”

“Right, my bad. Sorry, El. Sorry, Will.”

“HEY!” Will doesn’t know if it’s him or Max that shouted that.

“You probably should tell us if she’s the… _lover_ type,” Lucas says, with a weird French accent on _lover_.

Will thinks for a bit on that one. Yeah, Mike is absolutely the lover type. He loves his little gestures, like holding the door for Will at every opportunity, or straightening Will’s collar with a loving gaze, or kissing him literally everywhere. Will has woken up more than once with a rather embarrassing hickey, to say the least.

“Definitely,” Will says, and the others chorus with a collective _aww_.

“So she’s a passionate nerd who writes possibly kinky Valentine’s Day cards, is a good lover, _and_ has a good rack? Man, why does Will get the lucky draws?” Dustin says.

“How do you spend most of your time together? We can start with that,” Lucas says.

“Well, we…” _make out or more._ “C-cuddle. And we play D&D.”

“D&D with two people?” El asks, eyebrows raised. “You have other Parties?’

_Shit._ Will looks to Max for help, but receives a grimace. Suddenly, Dustin sharply gasps and gives Will a _gotcha_ look.

“Will, mind if I talk to you in private about something?” he asks.

“Dustin, if you have something to say-” Max begins.

Will sighs and stands up: “It’s alright. Let’s just make this quick.”

Once both boys are out of the room, Dustin gives Will a tackle hug, causing them to both tumble to the ground. Will feels the breath exit his lungs, but whether it’s the impact, the panic, or the suddenness of it all… who knows.

Dustin leans in, now on top of him, and says, “You and Mike finally got together, eh?”

Will tries to look him in the eye, but can’t. So instead he focuses on one of Max’s family photos in the hallway. Wow, she really needs to update those at some point.

“It’s ok, you know. I could see the jealousy on Mike’s face whenever I mentioned your girlfriend to him.”

“Wait what? He was jealous?”

“Apparently. I knew he loved you, but to the point of getting jealous over a fictional girl that _represents him_? That’s Sandra Dee level obsessive.”

“You really don’t mind? That I’m… gay?”

“Nah. Why would I mind having less competition for girls? You’re still Will the Wise, so I think you know what you’re doing. You totally ruined my boob fantasy though, so I’m holding a grudge for that.”

The dam bursts, and Will starts laughing harder than that one time he got drugged by his dentist. Soon, Dustin also starts laughing, and moments later Max has entered the hall to see what is exactly so funny. She starts blushing like mad when she sees the two boys lying down together, Dustin half on top of Will.

“Uh… Will, are you cheating on Mike, or is this just ‘bros being bros’?” Max does a fake masculine pitch at the end.

“Wait. Max, you also know?” Dustin asks.

“Dustin, you dumbass. _Of course_ I know. Now hurry up and get back before someone starts filming your sextape.”

Will gets up and brushes himself off, blushing at the thought of having his own sextape. Maybe that should be his anniversary gift to Mike.

=== 

After a few more hours of banter, the group breaks for the night, not much further than they started. Max and Dustin both make some great suggestions, all things that Mike would like: a movie date with a horror movie, a coffee shop date, or even sneaking into the AV room to make out on Mr. Clarke’s equipment (ok, that one is slightly weird). But Will wants something a bit more intimate and _romantic_ , so the ideas are ultimately scrapped.

Will begins the bike ride to his house, perhaps pedaling faster than he needs to because it’ll be dark soon and he’s _still_ scared of being alone in the dark like a five year old. Ah well. He thinks about subtly trying to get ideas out of Mike. Maybe he could ask Mike if _he_ has any plans for their anniversary. No, that seems like he’s expecting something grand, and then Mike will absolutely go out of his way to do something. He’s just like that. Will’s boyfriend can be such an alpha sometimes.

When he gets to his house, he is _not_ expecting Mike Wheeler to be standing at the door, waiting for him. Not that it’s unwelcome, but still.

“Will! Where were you? I didn’t see you after school today, so I got a bit worried.”

“I’m alright. Sorry, I should have told you, but Max wanted some help with math.”

“Ah.” A pause. “Well, I’m glad you’re ok.”

Mike walks over to him, looks around briefly, then gives Will a chaste kiss. But as he pulls away, Will pulls him back in for a deeper one. They stand there for several minutes, Will pressing into Mike, who has leaned back to accommodate the touch.

“Someone’s in a good mood today,” Mike mutters.

“Shut up, dork, you love it.”

“Hmm, maybe I do,” Mike says, his grin half visible in the dusk.

“Mike, I need to talk about something. Something important. Can we…?”

“Yeah.”

Without another word, the boys stumble over to Castle Byers, Mike’s hand gripping Will’s delicately. As they arrive, Mike rushes ahead to open the curtain at the front for him. Will enters without a word.

“So, what’s up?” Mike is clearly trying to hide his concern, but his voice betrays him.

“Max… she found out. About us. And Dustin did too.”  
  
“WHAT?! How? Wh-what happened? Are they mad? Does El know? Tell me!”

Mike is pacing around in the uncomfortably small fort, looking panicky. Will tries to hold him, but Mike just ignores it and keeps walking, looking every half second at Will for answers. Will takes a deep breath, then tries to spin a half-truth.

“They found out my girlfriend wasn’t a girlfriend.”

“Oh, so they just know about you then. Ok.”

Wait, _what?!_ So it’s ok if Will accidentally outs himself all of a sudden, as long as he’s quiet about Mike? Will gives Mike a hard glare, and the boy just looks confused, as if to say _so what_. Well, ok then.

“The hell does that mean?”

Mike’s confusion turns into a frown.

“If you want to tell them about you, it’s ok. I never thought you would, since it was _you_ who wanted to keep his mouth shut about our relationship-”

“I wasn’t ready!”

“But now you suddenly are? That’s your call and all, but you really should have said something.”

“Mike, it was an _accident_.” Will pauses. “And they figured out about you too.”

“What the hell, Will? You don’t get to decide _that_.”

“I didn’t _decide_ anything. I didn’t even tell them! They just figured it out once they figured out I was gay.”

“Yeah, but you should fucking deny it!”

“Why? You _wanted_ to tell them about us for months, so what’s wrong with you - I mean, with this? Be reasonable for once.”

Mike is florid at that point, but for a completely different reason than usual. He sits down next to Will, and just _glares_ at him. 

“What’s wrong with me? Will, I wanted to tell them _together_ , not just you randomly outing both of us! Did you even tell them not to say anything about it to Lucas or El?”

“No, but-”

“But bullshit. I kept it secret for months because you were too much of a coward, and now you just go mouthing off to them the first chance you get? Will, that’s fucking messed up.”

Ok, _now_ Will’s just mad. Perhaps he _is_ a coward, but Mike hasn’t gotten beaten up for being queer. So who is he to talk?

“Oh, since _you’re_ such a brave man, why don’t you go tell your parents? See how well that goes. I already told my mom and Jonathan, but apparently _I’m_ the coward.”

It’s a low blow. Will knows that. But at that moment, he doesn’t give a fuck. And then a second later, he does.

“Wait no, I didn’t mean-”

“That’s enough. I’m out. I have better things to do with my time than get outed by my goddamn boyfriend of all people.”

Without another word, Mike storms out, and Will just sits there, all anniversary plans being replaced by an uncomfortable mixture of rage and sadness.

===

Unsurprisingly, Mike avoids him the next day. It’s a pretty normal response when they fight, though Will wishes Mike would at least be a _little_ more subtle. It would save him the questioning glances from Max and Dustin when Mike slides into the empty spot next to Lucas at lunch - as far away from Will as possible. Will just tries not to think about it, and instead strikes up a conversation with El about his latest landscape drawing for his junior art portfolio.

When Max slides in step next to him as he walks to his next class, Will looks around to ensure nobody can hear, then says: “we didn’t break up. He’s just mad at me.”

“Uh-oh. Did you beat his streak at the arcade or something?”

“No.” 

Will doesn’t really want to elaborate further, but then Max gives him the same look Joyce does when he’s lying to her. He sighs, lowers his voice to a whisper, and starts ranting.

“He thought that me talking to you and Dustin about us was outing him, even though he wanted to tell you about us for months. It’s so frustrating! One minute he says one thing, and the next he’s calling me a coward for not saying something earlier-”

“He said _what_? Jesus Christ, it was the same bullshit with El. Mike’s just too damn controlling for his own good,” Max says, rubbing her temple.

“Well, in a way he’s right-”

“Stop that.” Max is holding out her arm. “Have some self-confidence for once, Byers.”

“I also called him a coward for not telling his parents.” Will gives a nervous chuckle.

Max facepalms at that. “Oh. Never mind. You’re both idiots.”

“Yeah. We are. But he’s my idiot. Guess I should apologize.”

“Or you could ‘ _dump his ass_ ’,” Max says, doing a _really bad_ El impression. 

Will forgets his commitment to silence and bursts out giggling. He’ll never do that, but it would be a funny dramatic reenactment to do at some point. He would make a great El.

“Thanks, but no thanks. Alright, English time,” Will says, and the two part ways.

===

When Will next sees Mike, he’s sitting with Lucas and Dustin on the basketball court, deep in thought while the other boys argue about which of the X-Men would win in a fight.

“It’s clearly Iceman, doofus,” he hears Dustin shout. “Wolverine can’t just unfreeze himself; that’s not how healing works.”

“Ok, but Iceman wouldn’t even have time to freeze him. Wolverine’s claws are definitely sharp enough to cut ice. And he’s fast. Logan wins easily,” Lucas says.

Will takes a quiet seat next to Mike, and Dustin gestures to him, pointing an accusatory finger over at Lucas.

“Will! Tell Lucas he’s being stupid. Iceman would _totally_ win in a fight.”

“Don’t bring Will into this!” Lucas cries.

“Uh, I’ll just go with whatever Mike thinks,” Will says. “He knows his superheroes better than either of you.”

Mike doesn’t look up, and Will gives him a gentle nudge. The boy turns to look at him with a blank stare.

“Hey Mike, are you ok?”

“Yeah, just thinking,” he replies, tone neutral.

“We’re arguing whether Iceman would pulverize Wolverine or if Wolverine would get lucky,” Dustin says. “Will’s giving his vote to you. So decide please.”

“Iceman wins hands down. Duh.”

“HAH! You’re doing my math homework tonight,” Dustin says to Lucas, his voice a high-pitched sing song. Lucas lightly punches Dustin’s arm in return.

“What the heck, Mike, I thought we were friends,” Lucas says.

To Will’s joy, Mike snorts. “Guess I need smarter friends, then.”

“Um, guys? Uh, can I ask you about something?” Will says.

The guys all nod or say _sure_ , and Will feels a slight panic in his chest. He doesn’t realize he’s reached his arm out to Mike until the other boy takes it and Will feels the warm touch. Will looks over to Mike and is relieved to see a warm smile on his face.

_Alright, it’s now or nothing._ “It’s about my g-girlfriend.”

Mike lets go of his hand for a moment, but Will feels the touch again seconds later.

“Did you and Michaela have a fight?” Lucas is staring directly at him - at _them_.

“Michaela?” Mike looks puzzled.

“Will wouldn’t give us a name, so Max suggested that one.”

“When was this?”

“That is _confidential_ , good sir,” Dustin says. “Ask Will if you want to know about his girlfriend.”

Will groans at the not-so-subtle wink Dustin sends his way, but he manages to squeeze out a _thank you_ smile anyway. Mike just shrugs in defeat.

“Sorry. Go ahead, Will.”

“Uh, Michaela and I had a fight.” Will tries to look anywhere except at Mike. “And we both said things we shouldn’t have, and now I’m really upset. So, uh, how does one apologize to their girlfriend? I’m asking Lucas and Dustin because I know Mike sucks at apologies.”

“Hey! I do not.” 

Somehow, Mike still has an amused grin. _I’ll take that as a win_ , Will thinks. Lucas moves as if to say something, then stops.

“Lucas?”

“Why did you guys fight? If it’s ok to tell us. When I fight with Max, I wait a few days and then tell her she’s right. Usually works. But like, if I hurt her feelings and shit, then I get a present.”

Will glances briefly to Mike, then says, “I can’t tell you what we fought about unless she’s ok with it. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry,” Mike says. He looks down at his shoes. “She’s ok with it.”

“How do you know that?” Lucas asks. “Did you talk to Will’s girlfriend? But you don’t even know her name!”

“Yes I do,” Mike retorts. “It’s Mike Wheeler.”

Lucas gives him a confused look. Dustin shakes his head, then whispers something in Lucas’s ear, causing the boy’s confused look to turn into a surprised one.

“Oh. Ohhhhhhhh. So you and Will are gay for each other?”

“Pretty much,” Will says, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “Keep your voice down, though.”

“That’s, uh, that’s cool. Really cool. Neat. Yeah.”

“It’s ok, Lucas,” Mike says, though it sounds half like a question.

“Of course! It’s a bit weird to imagine my best friends fucking, but I guess it’s ok.”

Mike looks somewhat grossed out by that, and Will leans in to comfort him, nuzzling against his boyfriend’s chest in a totally heterosexual way.

“Jury’s out on whether we’re fuckng. But I’m glad you don’t hate us,” Will says.

“That’s a low bar to set. So, who else knows?”

“Will’s family, You, Dustin, and Max,” Mike answers. “Unless Will’s told someone else and I don’t know.”

“Oh my God, Mike, don’t start this again. No, nobody else knows,” Will says.

Dustin then makes a loud noise, somewhere between a gasp and a revelation, and the other boys turn to him.

“So you guys were fighting, right? What was that for?” he asks. 

_Oh right._ “That was for-” 

“Stupid reasons,” Mike says. He then looks down to Will, who is still leaning against him. “Nothing to worry about. Sorry, babe. I was being stupid. And paranoid. And an asshole.”

“It’s fine, so was I. Calling you a coward was too much. You’re more a Boo Radley than a Scooby Doo.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. And yeah, I can see why Dustin figured it out. We’re sorta obvious, aren’t we?”

“I mean, I don’t like hiding that I lo- _really like_ you, Mikey. Are we ok?”

“Yeah, we’re ok.”

“Ok sweet, now we are totally having hot make-up sex.”

“GUYS!” Will hears a shout from Lucas. _Oh yeah. They’re still here. Oops._

Dustin is just laughing his smug little ass off, and Will and Mike groan in sync at their not-so-intimate intimacy being ruined. Moments later, Dustin comes in for another group hug. Lucas stays back, but Dustin pulls him in so fast he collides into Mike, causing the boys to tumble onto the ground in an awkward heap. Before any of them can move apart, they hear a shrill laugh.

“Jesus, Will, now you’re starting a big gay orgy with my boyfriend?” It’s Max.

“Every freaking time,” he mutters, and she just rolls her eyes.

===

“Only one more to go. Breathe, Will, you can do this,” Mike says. 

The two boys are sitting in Will’s room, waiting for El to finish up her homework so she can join them. There’s an extra element of scary with this one; El is Will’s _sister_ , so if for some reason she doesn’t react well, things will get real awkward. At least Joyce and Jonathan support him.

Mike has been trying to reassure him, saying that El probably doesn’t even know what gay means. Besides, when has she judged Will for literally anything? _That’s probably true, but I also kinda stole her boyfriend, so there’s that_.

“Sorry, homework was hard,” he hears El say.

She steps into the room and takes a seat next to the boys, despite Will offering her the chair at his desk. She fidgets with her blouse as she looks at Will expectantly. Neither Will nor Mike say anything, both looking to each other, unsure where to start.

“Is this about _gay_?’ El asks.

_Wait what._ “Uh, El, when did you learn what that was?” To call Will confused would be an understatement.

“Max told me yesterday. Said I might need it. It’s cool,” she says.

“Cool?”

“Yeah. Boys are cute.”

Will smiles at her. “Yeah, they definitely are. I’m gay, El.”

“As am I. We’re dating,” Mike adds.

“Oh. Ok. _Wait_ ,” El says, suddenly looking furious. “Will, boyfriends don’t cheat. What about Michaela?”

“I’m Michaela,” Mike says, and El looks at him weird.

“Oh. So girl Mike is guy Mike. Wait, I dated you. Then I’m girl gay?”

  
Will and Mike both erupt in laughter, and Mike leans in to hug her. El hugs back immediately. Will looks around, awaiting a random appearance from Max. When it doesn’t happen, he joins them, and the trio stay like that for minutes on end.

Eventually, Will lets go and says, “No, not quite. Also, girl gay is called _lesbian_.”

El has a glimmer in her eye, like with every new vocab word she learns. “Lesbian. Lesbian. Sounds like food.”

“El, you are literally the best,” Will says.

“I know. Oh, Max told me to tell you something.” 

“What was it?”  
  


“Sorry for your loss,” she says solemnly.

Mike tries to pretend he isn’t amused. He huffs and pouts like a five-year old, muttering _stupid Max_. El smirks, leans in, and bops him on the nose. Will provides him a consolation kiss, then squeezes his hand.

_It’ll be ok now. They’re all okay with it. I’m not going to lose my best friends or my boyfriend._

===

A few days later, Will and the rest of the Party sans Mike are in his living room, putting on the final touches for the surprise one-year anniversary plan. It’s been difficult to keep holding secret meetings without Mike, but he reassures himself by saying the reward will be worth it.

“Alright, so I’ve been watching Mike carefully these last few days,” he says. “I don’t think he has any idea.”

“If you weren’t dating, that would sound extremely creepy,” Lucas says. “Still does, actually.”

“Mike will love it. Lucas, maybe you should take a hint from Will,” Max jokes.

“Considering you two seem to break up every other week, shouldn’t you at least get through a year first?” Dustin says.

Will looks over to El, who puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Relax. He loves you,” he hears her say, and he quietly nods along.

“Alright. Thanks, guys. I’ll take it from here.”

The Party whispers a series of final _good lucks_ and various reassurances, then disperses, leaving Will alone to get ready. Luckily, El and Max had helped him pick out an outfit the day before: he changes into skinny jeans and a maroon flannel shirt, because apparently that is _iconic gay fashion_ according to Max. Since when was she the expert?

He smiles to himself, though. Mike absolutely has a thing for flannel. More than once he’s eyed a flannel, _especially_ a plaid flannel, and commented on how sexy Will would look in it. Whether Mike just likes patterned shirts or has a deeply rooted lumberjack fetish is still unknown, though Will thinks he’ll find out sooner or later. 

After a quick shower and far too much hair gel, Will speeds out of the house and over to Mike’s place. He doesn’t realize how quickly he’s travelling until he’s out of breath at his boyfriend’s doorstep. Biking alone at night tends to do that to him. He rings the doorbell, and Mike answers. Mike does a quick double take when he sees him and flushes rather quickly. _Yup, definitely a lumberjack fetish_.

“Will! H-hi, I wasn’t expecting you. A-actually I was just heading over to your place… you look, uh, well, really good. I mean, you always look good, but, like, today, you… gah, you look hot ok?”

Will does a quick surroundings check and leans in and kisses Mike, with the boy kissing back incredibly quickly. As the kiss deepens, Mike’s arms run down his back and settle on his waist, and he can feel his boyfriend’s fingers tremble. _He’s nervous. And excited, apparently_.

Will breaks the kiss to take in his own view. Mike looks… well, amazing as ever. He’s always been the more fashionable of the two, but tonight he seems to have a bad boy look. He’s wearing jeans and a white undershirt beneath a leather jacket, and his hair is devoid of it’s usual curliness, instead neatly parting into bangs with a slight tuft on the top. _Mike could totally get any girl he wants at school with that look, other than Max maybe. It’s a miracle he wants me of all people._

Will touches Mike’s cheek, slowly running his fingers over his boyfriend’s slight stubble. “Shall we go? I’ve made some plans for us.”

“O-oh, you have?” Mike seems genuinely surprised. That’s a good sign.

“Yeah, whenever you’re ready. Happy anniversary, Mikey.”

“Happy anniversary, babe.” 

Mike’s breath is soft and fluttery, and Will is tempted to spend the entire night just kissing him. That won’t do, of course. Will forces himself to break contact and runs over to his bike, Mike following shortly behind.

“So where are we going?”

“Hawkins Middle School.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You’ll see. Race you there,” he says, and pedals as fast as he can into the darkness.

Fifteen minutes later, the boys are at Hawkins Middle School, and Will takes a quick glance around the perimeter of the building. _Yeah, everything’s in place. Perfect. Thanks, guys._ As if on cue, the Christmas lights hung around the front of the building spontaneously light up, and Will can see the shocked expression on Mike’s face.

“Will, how did you-”

“El might have helped me a bit.”

“El’s here?”

Will shrugs and tries to look smooth. “Maybe, maybe not. We’ll just have to go inside and see.”

And so, they do. The first thing Will notes inside the hallway is that the Christmas decorations he planted earlier are still in place. He sees a cascade of blue and yellow lights, with a snowflake hanging from the ceiling. Above them, a sign that reads _WELCOME_ is hoisted from the tops of two rows of lockers. Will makes a mental note to thank Lucas and Max again for helping decorate.

“Will, this looks a lot like-”

“Let’s keep walking, shall we, Michael?”

Mike’s eyes are glistening, and Will knows he’s reliving a moment; he’s re-lived this one many times in his own dreams, so getting to live it out in real life is incredibly cathartic. _Just a bit further._ As they walk closer to the gym, they see a decorated desk, featuring one Dustin Henderson.

“Greetings gentlemen, and welcome to the Hawkins Middle Snow Ball… April edition! Please head on inside.” Dustin greets the two with all the vigour of a well-paid receptionist, and Mike is mouthing _no way_ to Will.

But once the two are inside the gym, Mike’s disbelief is confronted. Will gives a gentle sigh; he tried his best to reconstruct the gym from memory, but it’s not half as elaborate as the original one. Still, the words _SNOW BALL_ are placed on a poster atop a makeshift stage, and blue light shines on the floor, with blue and yellow lights covering everywhere else. _This will have to do. I hope Mike likes it._

A two-second glance at his boyfriend’s face makes the answer to that one obvious. For once, Mike Wheeler is the speechless one, and Will swells with pride at doing the impossible. He point over to a disco ball by the stage, and when Mike looks at him in confusion, he just says:

“We both suck at slow dancing, so disco it is. Also, I don’t have many snacks, but I hope potato chips will do.”

“Will… I literally dreamed about this. You heard me, didn’t you?”

“That I did, Mike. You’ve made all my dreams come true, so I just wanted to do the same for you at least once. It’s not the official Snow Ball, but I want to make a new memory. Here, with you, as my boyfriend. Together.... That sounded less cheesy in my head, I promise.”

“W-will… this is… I don’t even know what to say.”

“Then shut up and kiss me instead.”

Mike gladly obliges, and he’s hungrier than usual this time, Will notes. And when he hears their friends cheering (or whistling, in Dustin’s case), he’s even happier.

“Group hug?” He offers. “Max, you’ll have to be part of the orgy this time, I’m afraid.”

“Shut up, doofus,” she says, but joins the group hug anyway.

“Disco time!” El calls.

The Party breaks into three groups: Lucas and Max, El and Dustin, and Will and Mike. And as they dance to the hits of ABBA and Earth, Wind, and Fire, Will feels truly at peace.

“Hey, Will? I finally figured out what I wanted to say,” Mike whispers to him.

“Oh?” 

Will feels his heart beat a bit faster as Mike leans in. They’re so close now… is that heartbeat his own, or Mike’s? Perhaps it’s the warmth from the body heat, but Will has to actively try to not lose himself in sensation. His boyfriend waits patiently until Will looks right at him.

“Will Byers, I love you.”

Will doesn’t have to hesitate for a second. “I love you too, Mike Wheeler. Now kiss me again.”

He feels Mike press softly against him, and this time Will _does_ lose himself in sensation. _There’s a million ways that things can go wrong_ , he thinks, _but a billion ways that things can go right._

To think that this is only one of them.

**Author's Note:**

> You know that one moment in your life where you see your crush happy with someone else, and you replay that scene in your mind with it being you instead? Yeah, that sense of catharsis is what I wanted to capture in this one. It's an experience I think a lot of people reading this can probably relate to.
> 
> Thanks for reading this! Any comments and criticism are welcome :) I tried a slightly different style compared to my previous fic, and I hope it works at least decently.
> 
> Happy New Year, everyone!  
> -Dan


End file.
